Snow's Silver Lining
by pakii
Summary: Azure Flake is a sixteen year old girl who breaks into North's base in order to become a guardian. Jack Frost and the other guardians don't know what to do, but they'll need to convince her that it takes alot of responsibility. I suck at summaries, but read the first chapter so you can taste something you've never tasted before !


Chapter 1 – Guardian

**Trigger Warning: suicide attempt, rude language**

Cold winters are the best. When you can comfortably lie on a field covered in snow and watch the sky, filled with clouds that block out the sunlight. Cold days are wonderful to me, since that's the season I can release a power that no other guardian could ever have had before: snow, ice, and frost. My name is Jack Frost, and I'm a 300 year old guy stuck in a seventeen year old body. No, my personality isn't an old geezer; I'm actually quite a decent guy. Once you get to know me. If you ever see an albino teenager flying about in the sky of your hometown, it's probably me. Actually, it can _only_ be me, because no one else can be as handsome as me, obviously.

Okay, you probably think I'm some flirtatious guardian (which I am, actually), but I'm also very powerful, protective, and obviously kind. Seriously. I treat children like gold. I'm not a pedophile (I hope you didn't get that through my explanation of myself)! Right now I'm just relaxing by a statue I once stood at, observing one of my old friends who I spent a lot of fun with. Jamie Bennett. The only kid who believed in me. In us, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, Sandy, North…he fought together with us till the end. Until Pitch finally got chased by his _own _nightmares. Hope that dick rots in hell. Unlike me, Jamie grows up. He's already nineteen, graduated high school and is just getting into a popular university a few towns away. Of course I'm crushed by his decision, but it's not like Jamie can't see me anymore…he's all grown up. I do hear him mention my name, though, when I see him shopping at a local market with his little sister.

'_Did Jack Frost nip your nose, sis?'_ Jamie would ask, nipping Sophie's nose. She would smile and let out a childish giggle, trying to reach Jamie's nose to nip him, too. Obviously it doesn't work, and soon they start a brother-and-sister play-fight in the middle of the shop. It's cute to see, how they still love each other dearly. Unfortunately I can't be there to join…

My feet comfortably rest on the statue's head, my staff still locked between my fingers. I grin, seeing all the new kids playing around. Snow surrounds their feet, which are armored in hiking boots. A blonde haired boy had already started a snowball fight with a ginger haired boy, starting to create a fort out of snow. The ginger boy patched a wide grin on his face as he was hit by a snowball, quickly forming one too, and aiming it at the blonde.

"_SNOWBALL FIGHT!" _the ginger boy declared, throwing his snowball at the blonde, "Chris, allies?" the ginger walked closer to Chris, holding out the 'peace' sign they use to call truce. Chris nodded in reply. Very ironic, since they had just shot a pair of snowballs at each other.

"Sure thing, Jay!" Chris pulled Jay's hand and brought him behind the fort, hiding from the other kids who have also joined the snowball fight. Soon, a grand snowball fight was created, alongside with laughter and pure joy. This moment really brought a smile to my face, and I missed happiness like these dearly. Especially ever since the other guardians decided to rest a bit before the latest event: Christmas. I obviously rejected that idea, but the drained facial expressions of my fellow colleagues wore me down to raise my hand in approval. Why do I have to be so _nice _sometimes? At least my annoyed sigh gave _some _hints to what I was really feeling. Everyone ignored it, though.

Watching these kids for a while brought my spirits up, and made me want to join these little squirts. An evil thought lingers around my mind, an evil plan. I collect some clumps of fresh, cold snow from the statue's surface and form it into a miniature sphere. It's big enough to hit someone successfully, though. I place it about two inches away from my lips and blow on it softly, the frost glazing the snowball gently. Now it's strong enough to fly far. I raise my arm high, my fingers loosening its grip around the snowball and I throw it far towards the kids. I had aimed on Chris, who turned around and smiled ear to ear. He faces a dark haired girl, and throws a snowball at her.

The girl shrieks and turns to face Chris, making an unpleased facial expression. "_Chris!_ That was mean!" she has piercing green eyes that resembled a snake. She has tanned skin, and was quite short. Probably because of her age. She's the complete opposite of me. She looks healthy, and then I glimpse at my pale hands and remember I am a 300 hundred year old corpse. I would never have healthy skin anymore.

"Sorry, Amanda! But you threw the snowball first! Plus, we aren't allies." Chris snickers and adjusts his fur-lined hat with his thick gloves. He runs back to the fort with Jay, getting ready to load more 'backup weapons'. That's what the two boys call the over-sized snowballs.

I grin and continue making snowballs, throwing them at random people and spreading ice across the youthful battlefield. Ice skating and playing snowball during is a very interesting mix, and I enjoyed sliding around while creating swirls of snow. Even if we were all having great fun, I still had the crave for the kids to _believe_ in me. I try my hardest, and I try to convince the kids it was _me _creating those beautiful patterns in the freezing air. I expected at least one kid to mention my name.

Nobody did.

After the snowball fight ended and all the kids had to head home, I turn my head towards the sky. The colors were changing to a darker shade of blue, almost a dark indigo. Evening. Winter days are shorter, forgot about that. I stand up on my bare feet and raise my staff high, slowly feeling myself float through thin, cold air. The wind ruffles my frosted-white hair as I glide through the town's sky, surfing around with my staff. It's really fun just to let yourself go, and enjoy the fresh breezes that occasionally come.

My piercing blue eyes spot every child on the street, their innocence clearly shining through the dull, metropolitan atmosphere. Another grin spreads across my face, and I spread my arms out wide and glide down. The rush of excitement fills my adrenaline with youth and courage. A mischievous emotion suddenly took hold of me, a part of me I wasn't ashamed of. I was proud, and I was mighty, for I _am _Jack Frost! My clear, glowing eyes express the cold ice on a winter's lake. My frosted hair expresses the frost that sugar coats everything with a pale white appearance. My pale skin expresses the soft snow that covers the ground like a warm fur blanket. My frozen heart expresses all three, and can melt on the warmest days. But I myself can never melt, nor vanish (I have no idea how many times I've repeated my cheesy introduction. Remind me never to do this again…and again).

A few kids notice my existence, pointing at me and trying to leave the sidewalk so they could talk to me. Their mothers pull them away and scold them, dragging the kids throughout the crowds of people so they can't get hit by a car. I land on a bright yellow cab as it stopped for the glowing red traffic light. Red. I was always in a love-hate relationship with that color. It either meant rejection, or to stop…or it meant love. Both were strong subject for me. I always feared of being rejected, of not being _believed_ in. I longed for love of people, for people to appreciate me. I got it, I guess. I just wish there was more. Not to be greedy, or anything. But I must've seemed very pained about the fact of the children's beliefs vanishing, since a familiar squeak was heard. It sounds very…sad, apologetic.

"Babytooth!" I exclaim, settling myself down on the frosted cab. My feet had already frosted the entire top of the cab; they have the ability to do that. On water, too. I'm lucky for that, because my feet detest the feeling of the top of a car. It makes them feel like standing on millions of over-sized beetle shells. Sounds weird and uncomfortable, I know. It is.

I cup my hands, scooping Babytooth's body and trying to keep her warm. That was an amateur attempt of me, since all I can do is freeze and frost. Babytooth smiles, never the less, and squeaks excitedly, obviously trying to take my mind off the kids. I nod and pet Babytooth gently, trying to calm her down. "Yes, yes, it's fine! It's fine! What's wrong?" I ask, changing my sitting position to a more comfortable one.

Babytooth gestures towards the sky, pointing to the North Pole. North. He must have something important to say to me. Why couldn't he contact me himself, though? Why did he have to send Babytooth? Well, maybe he _could_ have contacted me if I haven't had taken my tracker off…

Since I fly so quick and swift, it's impossible for anyone to reach or catch me. So, North and the rest of the guardian clan strapped on a tracker on me so they would know where I am, so they could capture me anytime. Disgusted by the idea, I obviously declined. But, apparently four common mythological characters beat one, handsome winter guardian. Unforgivable. But yes, during one of my flights this morning, I ripped the tracker off my leg and threw it with all my strength down below, watching it smash into millions of jet black pieces. A mischievous chuckle escaped my pale lips.

I stand up from the yellow cab, which was about to start driving again. Babytooth was already on her way towards the dark sky, her wings buzzing of excitement. I lift my staff and stare at the sky, "Wind, bring me up!" I command, and immediately the wind hauled me up into the sky. I let out a gleeful laugh and spun myself around, darting towards Babytooth. She had been waiting the entire time I was enjoying myself. My hand rises slightly as to say sorry, my face giving off an embarrassed facial expression. Babytooth sighs, and squeaks, buzzing on her way to North. I follow her, the wind boosting my speed to catch up with her. All I see is the dark, gloomy sky and Babytooth's tiny, sparkling body. I chuckle and spin myself again, letting myself have more fun. The place I'm going to seems to have bad news, so might as well be happy, not gloomy.

'_Don't worry, be happy'_

* * *

The smell of sizzling fire and freshly baked chocolate cookies fills my ice cold nose, welcoming me into North's base. A satisfied smile creeps onto me, glad that negative atmosphere isn't quite obvious to see. Everything looks like the usual, and I freeze a golden candle holder on a table with just the tip of my staff.

"Jack!" a familiar, energetic voice sounds from the distance. I turn my head to see Toothiana already stretching my jaw to observe every tooth my gum contains. She praises every single one, and praises me, too. It's nice to see someone greet you happily, I love that in the base. Everyone is happy to see your face, while in countries like America and France, nobody notices you. "Your teeth look so great, you must be doing fine!" Toothiana flies around and lands by a door, opening it slowly.

"It's great to see you, too, Tooth" I reply, touching my jaw to make sure it hasn't been severely damaged by Toothiana's eagerness to see the state of my mouth. I notice Tooth's face growing from glad to neutral. Something must be wrong, I usually see her with a smile on her face, "Something wrong?" I inquire, walking towards the tooth fairy. I notice Babytooth buzzing into the room that Toothiana opened the door to. I hear a small shriek coming out of Babytooth, but I can't see her.

"Jack…something interesting happened. Come look!" the voice of Toothiana doesn't reflect her expression, it has more of an excited tone to it. I follow her into the room and see Bunnymund, North, and Sandy. They all had formed a half circle with each other, surrounding a…bag? No, a person. As I walk closer to the unknown…possibly new guardian, I notice the person is a young girl in a school uniform. She has thick, copper hair that seems to not have been trimmed nor washed for quite a while. Her skin is a deep Caucasian, a healthy color. She's kneeling down, head turned towards the floor.

"Who's this?" I ask, facing North. I didn't bother to greet any of the guardians; I was too busy figuring out who this person was. Bunnymund and Sandy look at me, sighing.

"A freak, Jack." Bunny blurted out, not aware of the emotions the girl might be feeling now. A freak? How could someone call this girl a freak? Sandy creates a female sand figure, walking around. It doesn't help me one bit. I tell him that and he doesn't seem too pleased by my reply.

"This girl has somehow broken into our base. She's a believer, Jack. She can _see_ us, even though she's not a child." North explains, and the thick fog in my mind starts to untangle. That's why Bunny called her a freak. That's why everyone's been acting so…weird? That's why Babytooth shrieked, obviously surprised by seeing a human being in a place where only people of legends and myths exist.

Suddenly, the girl stands up and her head almost reaches the same level as mine. Her face is stunning, despite her unwashed hair. The deep Caucasian skin looks beautifully smooth, and jet black eyelashes carefully frame her deep blue eyes. They remind me of the ocean, not my shade of blue at all. Mine are cold and chilling while hers are soft and quiet. Desolate, almost. I immediately assume that her eyes give off her emotions inside. The uniform the girl wears seems to be a British navy blue blazer with a pale pink shirt underneath, the collar standing out. A light chestnut colored skirt joins the uniform with pale white over-knee socks and typical private-school loafers. A student around my age. Suddenly, the girl parts her lips to speak.

"My name is Azure Flake. I'm a sixteen year old human being and I broke into North's base in order to be a guardian." She declares, stumbling a little.

That's why she's a freak.

* * *

"Hey, why don't you clean yourself up a bit here and then you can tell us your life story?" I suggest, hinting on Azure's greasy hair and mud-covered loafers. She looked like she had struggled and had put a lot of effort into breaking in here. I gave Azure a lot of respect for that, and tried not to sound too rude on the suggestion. She just really looked like she needed a simple wash.

"Can I tell you why and _then_ shower? Since you know, I obviously will be kept hostage." Azure sighed, even though I didn't know what she was talking about. I looked at her eyes again, and they still looked desolate and sad. The eyelashes were the frame and the iris was the picture. The picture of emotions. Azure's eyes were magnificent, meaningful.

"How do you know _that_, smarty girl" Bunnymund replied sarcastically, crossing his arms. I shoot him a glare. Seriously, why aren't they nice to the girl? It's not like I had a few attempts to break in here!

"Well, maybe it's because of the_ cuffs_!" Azure tries to raise her arm which seemed to be locked behind her back. She's handcuffed, and North is holding onto the rope that holds onto them. Like a puppy, I shake off my fury of these disrespectful guardians. But, before I start scolding North, I catch the sight of Azure's height.

"You're tall." I say involuntarily, staring at Azure's face, how close it is to mine. She really is tall, but I beat her height. I am seventeen, after all. And she's sixteen. I notice Azure's disgusted face expression as she stares back at the ground, still standing.

"I know…sucks, doesn't it?" Azure mumbles, sarcasm still lingering around her tone. One thing leads to another and I find myself touching Azure's cheek with my pale hands. As I notice the shocked eyes of the girl, I quickly return my hand to lock its fingers around my staff. Frost has probably crept on her skin, causing her a shock of cold. Right, all I can do is make cold things. I decide to warm up Azure's heart, though.

"Tall is beautiful. You have more space for form and only supermodels can be like you." I say in my most charming voice, wanting Azure to feel nothing but flattered and good about herself. I hate to see people hate themselves, insult their beautiful faces and body. People are starting not only disbelieving in mythological characters, but also in their own beauty. Even though inner beauty matters more, "Personality matters more, though!" I quickly add, trying to remind Azure that looks don't really matter. They shouldn't.

"Y-you think so?" Azure stutters, obviously trying not to look flattered. I smile my warmest smile I can make and pat her on the shoulder. Her shocked eyes slightly disturb me. Have I done something wrong? Is trying to make someone feel better about them bad?

"Of course I do. So, what's with those handcuffs? North, seriously! You should be nicer to believers, especially when it's a sixteen year old. Not a lot of people around that age believe in us anymore." I walk to the back of Azure and look at her hands handcuffed, a rope tied to it and leading to North. I walk over to him and he gives me the rope. I didn't even have to ask? Weird. Seems like I have power over them all right now, awesome! I open the handcuffs and tilt my head to the side as I observe Azure touching her wrists softly, as if they'd been twisted like a tornado.

"Now, smile and take a shower. Seriously. Tooth can help you with that, or something." I say, turning around and lifting my staff in the direction of Toothiana. She looks slightly startled, processing the news, and then quickly nods with a bright smile. Of course Tooth would help anyone, it's _her_. I'm glad Tooth cheered up a bit, though. Seeing a frown on her was worrying me.

As Toothiana and Azure leave the center of the base to the bathroom place, I look at North, and Bunnymund, and Sandy. I realize that I haven't interacted with Sandy one bit, so I walk over and kneel down, smiling at him.

"Hey there, Sandy!" I smile and in return Sandy smiles back. I'm happy someone else aside from Toothiana is also in a good mood. He creates a question mark and a hand whose palm faces me. "I'm doing well; just this 'incident' right now kind of confused me, is all." I reply to the mute, and start some pointless small talk with him as North interrupts.

"I'm going to keep Azure as hostage. I need to tell her that only the Moon Man can summon a guardian, not us nor her. Seriously, even Jamie got that and he was _younger_." North starts, and I want to argue so badly but I know that my arguments won't be valid. Everything I say will have a comeback to leave me speechless, or North will just ignore me.

"Keep going…" I say, settling myself down on the ground with my staff. Sandy has already made a golden cloud out of dust and sand for him to rest on.

"So, I was thinking of letting Azure live in this place for a while. The base, I mean. All the rooms are quite cozy, so it won't be like a prison. And maybe knowing what it takes to be a real guardian will scare her off and she'll change her mind." North ends his plan with a chuckle, obviously not realizing how evil it sounds. Yet it's _me_ who agrees anyways and doesn't object. Not like I'll have a say in this…or anything, at all.

I walk around, knowing that I've never really looked around North's 'quarter'. It's interesting to see how many rooms are built in this place, even though outside it looks as tiny as a cave! Okay, maybe from the front it looks like that…but still, it does! And I've always wanted to know where _my_ room was. If Azure, a hostage, gets to have a room then where should mine be? Has North ever cared enough to think of that? Oh well, I wouldn't even use it, to be honest. I always hang out in the metropolitan cities, I only come here for news and that stuff.

As I walk down a hallway that distinctly reminded me of a hotel, I notice each door has an oversized, silver nametag that spells out the first names and the surname of a person. I see Toothiana's door, Sandman's door, Bunnymund's, and even a small door that says 'Babytooth'. After a while, I find the name 'Azure Flake' printed on one of them. My eyes squint at the door, wondering if I should open it or not.

Obviously I do. I don't care about privacy; Azure's probably plotting out a plan to become a guardian. Does she even _know_ of the Moon Man?

I slowly turn the door knob and creep inside, "Hey Azure, just wante—".

"_AHHHHHH! Close the door! Close the door, close the DOOR!" _Azure shrieks with the power her lungs can hold out, and I quickly close the door behind me in sudden shock. Shrieks scare the crap out of me, especially sudden ones.

"Okay okay, it's okay!" I raise my voice a little so Azure can hear me out. I look around to spot where she is, and see Azure sitting by the window. I see she's dressed in a paper white bathrobe, and her arms cover her copper hair.

I start to realize that reassuring Azure and making my 'it's okay' hand gestures reminds me of my past, when I saved my sister's life. I immediately drop my hands and my voice, walking nearer to Azure.

"No! Don't!" I hear her say, and I stop in command. I observe Azure from the distance and see she's wearing a dress underneath the bathrobe, possibly Toothiana's. But she's not naked, so why would she want me to stop while I'm trying not to freak her out?

"Is something wrong? I'm sorry for barging in like that." I apologize, but sometimes I ignore the privacy rights of others. It's just me; nobody can help my beautiful face.

"You should be. I just…I…don't want you to see my hair…" she mumbles in the last sentence, but my ears catch every word carefully. I'm confused; I've already seen her hair. Why would she be embarrassed of it _now?_ I ask her that, and Azure simply sighs and looks at me, her hands still covering her hair. "That was my hair when it's ironed. Straight. It's naturally wavy, sort of curly. It annoys the heck out of me! It sucks, badly when it's wavy, seriously."

I shake my head and laugh, surprised of how a girl could be so concerned about the style of her hair. I should seriously start catching up on the new age of teenagers. What got them to hate themselves so much? What got them to pick out every flaw of them and stretch them longer like a string? Utterly unsatisfying.

"Azure…seriously? Ha-ha! Do you know how pretty wavy and curly hair is? It shows more creativity in your hair and it looks more like…you." My eyes meet Azure's and I can almost see the bubbles of the sea in her eyes. She's obviously flattered, shocked even. Has nobody ever complimented her? Appreciated her? I hope so, but this girl needs some more confidence.

"First the height and _now_ my hair? Do you just love to compliment young girls or what?" Azure snorts but smiles anyways, secretly. She hides the spread of her lips behind a long lock of hair that escaped Azure's hands.

"No, I just want people to like themselves more. Is it just me or do all teenagers seem to hate themselves now? Also, you're one year younger than me, so you're not that young!" I answered, chuckling at the end.

"I thought you're three hundred?" Azure asked, looking at me quizzically.

"Well, yeah. But physically I'm not, and mentally, too!"

"I can see that!" Azure bursts out laughing and I do too. We start bumping into each other's shoulders, softly pushing each other aside. Seeing Azure cheered up cheers me up, too. Seeing people having fun is usually caused by me, and seeing someone happy because of you is one of the best things you can feel.

After a while of playing around, we sit next to each other, staring at the end of the room. I break the silence, "You remind me of my sister." I feel Azure turning her head to look at me.

"How?" she asks, a big smile patched onto her face

"Well, I used to always play around with her like that. Bumping shoulders, sticking tongues out. We were just a pair of goofy people. Before I…" My voice trails off and I see Azure looking at me, waiting for me to finish the sentence.

"Before you what?" Azure tries to help me with a curious look on her face.

"Before I died. In front of her. I…I went ice skating with my sister, and the ice started c-cracking." I stop myself to get a grip, not to stutter. Azure kept looking at me, her curiosity growing stronger and stronger. "S-so…after I _think_ I saved her from the cracking ice, I fell through it myself. The last thing I saw was her, the water, and the moon." I finish with a long, depressing sigh. I stare at my legs covered in my worn-out pants. I still feel Azure's eyes burning on me.

"The Moon Man." Azure whispers to herself. "He exists…y-you became a guardian by drowning? I-I'm really sorry about your loss, I really am, but maybe that was a good thing. He chose you that way, because you saved your little sister!" Azure tries her best to reassure me, but her intelligence surprises me.

"You figured that out quicker than I did. You're smart, Azure." I smile and the copper haired girl smiles back, resting both of her hands on her lap. Azure seems to have grown more comfortable around me, letting me see her curly hair. It's wonderful, like I said.

"So, I remind you of a younger-than-ten year old girl, huh?" Azure brings up the statement I had blurted out. I grin in reply.

"Of course you do, sis." I tease, slowly standing up from the window sill and walking towards the door. "You come out, we might be eating soon. It's getting late."

"Okay, fine. I'll just dress into something else. This dress is horrid, I can't stand them!" Azure exclaims, obviously irritated by Toothiana's taste of fashion. Suddenly, she looks up at me from her dress which is hidden under the bathrobe. "Also, don't you dare call me sis"

"Alright, alright…sis!" I snicker and quickly close the door before Azure hits me with one of her slippers. It only hits the door. I run away, holding onto my staff and I immediately leap in flight, swirling around the hallway. Okay, I've bonded a bit with the female hostage. I hope our friendship can grow, but I know she'll have to leave sometime.

After a half an hour of flying around North's base, I find out that he actually has many rooms built here. I had already found two saunas, one for men and one for women. I had found countless bathrooms in different parts of the entire 'palace'; I had even found a dining room! That's probably where the guardians, yetis, and elf's ate. I even discovered a huge kitchen that some yetis worked in, putting a lot of effort into different courses of many meals.

I snuck into the kitchen and stole a few marshmallows which were sitting on a table near the entrance. They tasted glorious, but that's probably just because I haven't had a real meal in ages. I forgot to eat daily because of the state of my body; I am a corpse after all. I don't really need nutrition, but I forgot how wonderful food can taste like! The big four are having a feast tonight with the yetis and elves, so I might as well join if they're going to have a little fun. Azure is definitely going, since she most likely has no idea how to get out of this place. It's really confusing, especially when you're stranded on the North Pole!

I wait for quite a while for North to announce the guardian's dinner announcement thing. Everyone circles around him, and listens to North thanking the yetis for their hard work today. Finally, as all the elves, guardians, yetis, and I stand behind a huge table full of delicious food, North announces us to start our feast. I search for a seat as fast as I can and settle my staff next to me, half on the floor, half laying on the long bench that half of the crowd sits on. The other half sits on the other side of the table with the same bench. We all quickly snatch food off from the plates in the center and throw them onto ours, filling our plates with greed. Some of us even exchange a few chicken legs and different types of popcorn. Practically everything's on the table and this is the night where we finish it all up.

In between swallowing and chewing, I raise my glass and sip the sparkling apple juice inside. As I press the rim of the glass against my lips again, I spot Azure across from me. I raise my hand wildly at her, and Azure's deep blue eyes capture my wave. I smile brightly and she smiles shyly back, waving slightly. She seems to be uncomfortable in this huge crowd, so after eating about three courses quickly, I step out of the bench. I cling onto my staff and walk around the table, seeing Azure. She's sitting in her spot awkwardly, munching the food that she could reach. I grin and squeeze myself between and Azure and an elf. She looks at me, shocked.

"Hello." Azure stiffly says and continues eating her food. She's only a few forks and spoons away from finishing her meal, and she doesn't seem to be enjoying any of the food displayed on the table. Literally _everything_ edible is offered here, how can someone _not_ like this generosity? I shake these thoughts off my head and take Azure's hand after she's finished her, what seems to be, second course.

I run out of the room with Azure. We end up walking along the halls of the guardian rooms, reading every name on each door. I snicker when I see Bunnymund's, frosting the edges of his nametag on the door. Azure looks at me with a grin spread across her face.

"You sure like Bunny, don't you?" Azure's lips are wide; she seems to be enjoying the games that Bunnymund and I play. A chuckle escapes my lips, in reply to Azure's question. I nod and share some fun times we had, I especially liked the tooth hunting. That was fun!

We're both already in Azure's room when I finish telling her all of the revenges Bunnymund and I have planned on each other. Azure settles herself on the ground, adjusting her pigtails. I _just_ noticed how Azure changed her hairstyle for the feast. She had obviously straightened it, and then tied them into two messy pigtails. The copper colored bangs lay on her forehead clumsily. The only thing wrong with Azure's face is the frown.

"What's wrong, Azure?" I ask, confused of why my amusing stories wouldn't cheer anyone up.

"I wish I could be part of that." The answer was spoken in a mumbled tone.

"What?" I ask, my face concentrating on Azure's. She's looking down at the ground.

"I…I want to be a guardian, too, Jack!" Azure looks up at me with the most wistful eyes I've ever seen. They are full of desperation, the feelings Azure stated are sincere.

"Azure…you can't be a guardian just like that, the Moon Man—"I start.

"I know, I know! The Moon Man tells us everything. But you're lucky to have become one, Jack. I envy you!" Azure sighs and slightly slouches while sitting.

"I'm not lucky at all! I drown in front of my sister, and then I'm brought back to the world for three hundred without explanation! The Moon Man doesn't tell us everything, Azure. Sometimes we just need to find out why by ourselves. I had to find out by myself, at least." I try to reassure Azure and pat her shoulder, slightly smiling. After a while of silence, it's broken again.

"Did it…did it hurt?" Azure asks as her deep blue eyes lock with my frosted ones. She really seems interested in my past, my life. I nod, collecting my memory.

"It didn't hurt that much, really. It was mainly adrenaline and shock that took over my body, drowning doesn't hurt much. You just feel very stressed and panicked and tired and…" I stop myself before I start spilling out all the memories I felt in a rush. I finish my explanation with a simpler answer. "No, it didn't hurt much."

Azure nods and looks at the floor in reply. Her eyes focus on the carpet and it looks as though she's trying to untangle a web of thoughts. I tap her on the shoulder and her eyes suddenly look back at me in shock. She looks at me surprised, as if a cloud has vanished and the sun was able to shine again after so many years. I tilt my head to the side, asking 'what's wrong' without any words. Azure immediately understands and shakes her head, "Oh sorry, I'm just a bit sleepy…it's quite late, don't you think? Look, the sky is practically _black_." Azure says, standing up and walking nearer to her window. I follow her.

"Yeah, but see?" I point at the sky behind the glass. "The stars and the moon are shining for us. It'll never be dark, Azure." I smile warmly.

"That's not the point, Jack!" Azure giggles, obviously understanding my cheesy metaphor. "I just…I think I need to rest a bit and contain the information of me being a prisoner for who knows how long!"

I sigh and nod, understanding the girl. It must really suck to be a prisoner, to be kept in only a huge mansion and nothing else. Will Azure not be able to touch the ground with her own feet again? I try to ignore those haunting thoughts of no freedom, and bid Azure farewell.

"Goodnight, sis!" I tease Azure before shutting the door. I hear two slippers thump against the door, and then I swear…I hear an angelic giggle.

That was the first day.

* * *

I wake up to the sound of muffled voices and a panicked shriek which is immediately hushed by a strong voice. It's North. I sit up on my bed and look around my room, but no one is there. Maybe those voices are in the other rooms?

I quickly slide out of my bed and slip on my blue sweatshirt. I finish putting on my trousers as I hear another familiar voice sound…from the next door over! Azure's room! Why is everyone in her room at this time? Did something happen? I quickly collect my staff and run out of the room, sliding into the hallway. I turn my head frantically around, listening to the voices. Yes, it's Azure's room. I sprint my way over to her room and open the door with a powerful shove.

I see all of the guardians huddled together, staring at me wide-eyed. Toothiana has her mouth cupped closed with her hands. The shriek obviously belonged to her. North is there too, that's where the strong-sounding hush was sounded from. Bunnymund was the familiar voice. I stare back at them with a clear hint of confusion smeared on my face.

"Where is Azure?" I ask, seeing a bed without an owner. The sheets are neatly placed and so is the pillow, as if it has never been touched. I look at Toothiana and she sighs, sitting on the ground. Sandy pats her shoulder and sighs, too. North and Bunnymund walk up to me and show me a hopeless facial expression.

"Azure is gone, Jack." Bunny whispers, his accent is the only thing that gives a sound in the room. I shake my head rapidly, as if that would help Azure to come back.

"Where did she go?" I try my hardest not to yell.

"We don't know." North looks down at the ground, obviously trying to hide the sadness in his eyes. I personally can't understand why North would be sad; he was the one who handcuffed Azure when she broke in! He barely showed any affection towards Azure, which made me really surprised. And also a little bit angry.

"I'm…I'm going." I mutter, staring down at the ground, too. I can feel North's and Bunnymund's eyes burn on me.

"Where are you going?" Toothiana asks, sitting up. Sandy creates floating question marks above him, obviously asking that, too.

"I'm going to find Azure." I state it loudly, so everyone in the room can hear it. My voice hangs in the air for a while, and then I salute them a farewell. Before anyone can catch me, I open Azure's window and jump out. My staff raises high and I glide into the sky.

I fly quite far and have already searched through ten metropolitan cities. Azure has obviously not chosen to go shopping or hide in a hotel. It takes me a while to find the nearest forest of one of the metropolitan cities, but it looks like a big and thick one.

The scent of the tree's bark and the soft snow reminds me of many years ago, when I was lured into a cave of a female voice. Now that I think of it, the voice must've been my little sister. Running around the woods gets me breathless, so I sit on a high boulder and look at the view it gives me. I see a lot of more trees in front of me, but it also ends. There…there seems to be a pond, a lake, even! After a while of breathing in air and resting out from my scavenger hunt, I raise my staff again and jump into the air. I dart towards the sky and then towards the lake which my eyes clearly see. I float in the air and observe it carefully.

The lake is surrounded by thick snow, and ice is glazed onto the water. From my experience, it's not in a good state to ice skate or to even walk on. My ice blue eyes spot a hole in the center of the lake, but it doesn't look like a natural occurrence. It looks like someone has…drowned.

A shot of shock pierces through me as I realize that the person drowning in the water could only be one particular person. Azure. This is why she asked me if drowning hurt, this is why she's asked me questions all about my death. She's killing herself so she can be like me.

"_WIND, GET ME DOWN TO THE LAKE! RIGHT NOW_" I use up all the power I can hold in my voice before the wind immediately throws me to the lake. I use my staff to guide my way through and nearly crash onto the ice, directly by the opening of the hole. I peer into it, seeing navy blue water and a feminine body, slowly drifting away. Azure.

I press myself against the ice and try to catch Azure with my arm. I stretch it out as long as I can, and a leap of hope fills me up as I feel her fingertip. I hold onto it desperately and pull it up, catching Azure's entire hand. I hold onto it even tighter, and pull it all the way up. I finally use my two arms and drag Azure's top half out of the water. Finally, I wrap myself around her and pull her all the way out and lay her softly on the ice.

Azure's eyes are closed. She isn't breathing. I kneel by her side and try to get the water in her throat out by pressing my hands against her chest, hoping that Azure can wake once more. I continuously repeat the action until I hear water splashing all over the place, my hands, too. I also hear Azure gasp for air, and I immediately spin my head towards her. My eyes fill with joy and hope, and I hug her tightly. Azure seems unaware what's going on, her eyes half closed.

I sit back and realize I have a right to ask her why she has done this. So, I prepare my voice and break the moment of happiness.

"Why did you leave so suddenly? We've been scared out of our _minds_, Azure! What the hell?!" I exclaim, bursting out all my anger and fear. It takes a while for Azure to understand the questions I've blurted out, but she just stares at the sky and leaves me speechless.

"_I want to be a guardian_".

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**Author's Note: Sorry for the chapter being so long, but I hope you liked it! Big thanks to my personal guardian, WOZ, for helping me throughout the story!**


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